2 Democratic participation and political action

In this section of the course you’ll explore some of the ways in which educators can support their students in addressing the climate crisis through democratic participation, political engagement and activism intended to raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis, influence government action, raise awareness of the relationship between politics and environmental collapse, and inspire others to act.

Political engagement and democratic participation can take many forms, including:

• Formal political participation. For example: voting, joining a political party and taking part in activities such as campaigning and policy development.
• Informal political participation. For example: signing petitions, writing letters to an MP and other forms of lobbying intended to influence government decision-making.
• Passive direct action. For example: amplifying activists’ social media posts by ‘liking’ or commenting on them.
• Disruptive direct action. For example: taking part in protests and conducting social media-based activism.

Figure 4 Voting is one way to address the climate crisis, but needs to be accompanied by other action

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This is a photograph of a pile of colourfully decorated cards, each with the message ‘Be a voter’ in the middle.

Figure 4 Voting is one way to address the climate crisis, but needs to be accompanied by other action